Criminals wound up working as officers for the New York City Police Department after the commander overseeing recruitment ignored their checkered past, according to court filings.
Up to 31 unfit officers were allowed to serve as cops due to ‘unauthorized unilateral actions’ by former commanding officer NYPD Inspector Terrell Anderson, the complaint states.
The recruits were allowed in despite failing psychological tests and background checks and in multiple cases, criminal records, according to the document.
One aspiring officer was even found to have three arrests to their name, but was recruited anyway, the filing states.
Offenses included everything from drug use to prostitution, and a number of driving violations, per the New York Post.
However they were allowed to serve after being granted admission by Anderson, according to the filings, which state he did not have the authority to keep them on the force.
And in a stunning twist, many of the officers remain employed and cannot be sacked after the NYPD Police Benevolent Association filed a restraining order to temporarily halt the city’s actions, keeping them on the payroll.
‘His actions, therefore, were a nullity,’ the city said.